SuperValue Whanganui’s Priya Patel, 21, among New Zealand's youngest supermarket owners

Priya Patel, 21, took over SuperValue Wanganui in November 2024, making her one of the youngest supermarket owners in the country. Photo / Eva de Jong

At 21, SuperValue Whanganui owner Priya Patel is one of the youngest supermarket owners in the country.

Patel had helped in her family’s Palmerston North dairy since she was 5, often standing on top of a milk crate to reach the counter, serving customers alongside her parents.

“Growing up, playing with the checkout was my version of a PlayStation,” Patel said.

“In high school, I would put my bags away and then go downstairs and start working. It was just part of my routine to be fully immersed in the business.”

FreshChoice said it was confident Patel was one of the youngest store owners in the country.

She took on ownership of the store in November 2024 and her rapid success could be attributed to her “deep-rooted passion for the industry and the local community”, FreshChoice said.

Being one of the youngest supermarket owners in the country takes a lot of hard work. Photo / Eva de Jong

Patel’s SuperValue Whanganui supermarket will be transformed into a FreshChoice later this year.

Owning a supermarket had been a family dream for as long as Patel could remember but she never expected to achieve the goal so soon.

It would not have been possible without the support of her parents, who helped her to buy the store, alongside a bank loan.

After leaving school, she studied for a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing and Management at the University of Victoria Wellington. Patel was forced to leave her first fulltime job because of Government cuts across the ministries.

When the opportunity came up to buy the supermarket, she leaped at the chance.

But it requires a lot of hard work and there are days she works 16 hours straight to ensure everything is running smoothly.

Sisters Khushi Patel (left) and Priya Patel at SuperValue Wanganui. Khushi has been working for Priya, who owns the supermarket, over the 2024-25 summer. Photo / Eva de Jong

Patel has learned that if she wants to sleep soundly at night she has to get everything checked off on her to-do list before leaving the store, even if that is at 11pm.

“When I wanted to do this, I knew it was a huge responsibility and that it wasn’t something I could switch off from, you know, this is my life,” she said.

“Even when I go home, I think about work, and when I’m sleeping, I’m thinking about my work.”

It was a lot of pressure to take on at an age when most of Patel’s friends were still working cruisy summer jobs.

“I love it, it energises me,” she said.

“When you’re passionate about something you’ll do whatever it takes to make sure it works right.”

Her 18-year-old sister Khushi Patel, who has been working alongside her in the supermarket this summer, could not be prouder.

Khushi Patel had witnessed her sister overcome low points, such as driving to and from Wellington every day for franchisee training, to get to where she is now.

“Sometimes I’m like, ‘Is this a dream, or is it actually real?’,” Khushi Patel said.

“We’ve been working together since we were little behind the counter with our parents, and seeing Priya come this far is actually insane.”

Patel said most of the customers she served did not realise that she was the supermarket owner.

“When I tell them my actual age, they do get shocked,” she said.

Living above the dairy her parents owned when she was younger had made her value the relationships that could be built in the retail business.

“My parents have been running their business for about 18 years, so almost my whole life, and I was encountering the same people every day.

“The customers become like family when you have that connection with them.”

Her advice for young people wanting to own their own business was to “just do it - and if you don’t know how to do it, figure it out”.

“Just never give up, it’s going to be a long journey and you will have obstacles, but that’s just part of it - it builds your character.”

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.